The joy and jubilation of dance. Had I not been curs-ed with Motion Malady, I would have, could have, been a contender! Yes, Marlon Brando coined the phrase in Eli Kazan’s “On the Waterfront” when his character was in the fight for his life.

Dance is magic, it is key to a euphoric existence for me. I dance when I am happy. I dance when I am sad. I am a dancer. Since remodeling our new house with its massive space and tile flooring, I have perfected my dancing to the point I have earned the calluses back on my toes that were once there in my days of continuous tap, ballet, jazz and other types of dance that I would subject myself to until I was puking sick waiting for the waves of nausea to pass so I could drive home from class.

So I chose to perfect acting instead, to take the hand dealt and make the best of what I’ve got. “I always thought fine folks were the ones who did the best they could with the sense they had.” Scout questions in one of my favorite novels, Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”, a lot of life lessons can be absorbed from that book.

Now, I clean-dance my house. I have set up complete Feng Schui with décor and color. Actually, Sam painted our living room a color of his choice, All That JAZZ blue which makes my mood brighten every time I chaussée into that room, adjacent the guacamole green dining area with art from all my travels, which takes me into a time machine.

Some days I dance letting the local classic-rock radio station take me away to the places I was when each song entered my realm of existence, changing my character style dance with each stylistic change of song or band. I do so dislike it when commercials come on though, and although sometimes I curse at Tom Shane or The Arizona Meth Project for interrupting my dance meditation, I use those car insurance advertisements to make commercial lesson plans for my students. Muti-task, muti-task, no wasted time! Then sometimes I put on specific pieces to take me where I want to go, now, whether it be a musical writing piece I am working on, or a mental journey to visit old friends, feelings and sometimes even foes (Crazy but that’s how it goes, millions of people living as foes. Maybe it’s not too late to learn how to love and forget how to hate). These exercises work as choreography and style for new musicals I am writing.

Had I not been curs-ed with Motion Malady, I would have been a Solid Gold Dancer I am sure of it. But something wanted me to be here, now, with these kids, in this town, in this state. I am still a contender, just in other things. But dance will always be my first love after my mommy. Mommy taught me the love of music too. Thanks mommy for winning Best Dancer in high school and putting me in dance classes before I could walk or talk. It is sheer jubilee! Now crank up the tunes!